Recreation

Recreation > Fishing

Let Fishing Reel You In! You arrived in St. Germain ready to start your vacation. You made a trip to the local bait store and stocked up on the best baits and lures to reel in that catch of a lifetime. You headed to the lake, cast your line and felt that first tug of a bite. What did you reel in? St. Germain just might offer the best multi-species, freshwater fishing in Vilas County! With an amazing variety of fish in a diversity of lakes, rivers, and streams, St. Germain is a top-rated fishing destination for anglers of any experience level. Whether you want to spend a quiet day by yourself on the water, rent a pontoon and take the entire family, or hire a guide to help you land the best catch, you will find it all in St. Germain.

Recreational Safety Education Classes are now being offered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Check out the ATV, boating, hunting and snowmobile safety classes being offered in the area.

The king of freshwater fish. They are the top predator and least populated fish in our lakes. Catch and release is the common practice these days. It’s known as the fish of 10,000 casts, but hiring a guide will cut those odds.

NORTHERN PIKE

Wisconsin’s second largest predator fish, second only to their relative the Musky. Pike are typically very aggressive and will feed anytime the opportunity allows. They prefer weed flats and other ambush points.

WALLEYE

The walleye is the largest member of the perch family and is often targeted for its table fare. Walleyes can be tough to find, but when they are located, they typically cooperate and bite. Bait secret: minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches, and back to minnows as the season starts and finishes.

PERCH

A small fish that most anglers seek more for the taste than the tug. Adults average 7 to 10 inches which make it a good fish for all ages to catch. Perch have a tendency to congregate in large schools making it a one-stop spot to catch your dinner.

BASS

Large and smallmouth bass are brothers, but like family they do take separate paths. We have several small backwoods lakes that offer untapped largemouth fishing, and several area lakes that offer numbers to trophy fishing for smallmouth. NOTE: the season for smallmouth isn’t open to harvest until the 3rd Saturday of June. Regulations for harvest of largemouth are different from lake to lake.

PANFISH

These fish are probably one of the most popular sport and eating fish in Wisconsin. Crappies, bluegills, and sunfish are our most common “panfish”. Probably the most targeted fish in the spring, and often over harvested. Remember to take only enough for a meal and leave some for another day.

Help control VHS in Wisconsin waters

The Department of Natural Resources has detected a virus affecting fish in the Lake Winnebago system called viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS for short.

The DNR reported that this virus is not harmful to humans and that it is completely safe to handle and eat fish caught in Wisconsin waters. It is important to note that VHS is a deadly virus to fish and spreads easily among a variety of fish populations. The DNR is actively responding to contain this threat and has issued the following recommendations that should be practiced on all Wisconsin waterways:

Put your catch on ice and do not move live fish and unused bait minnows away from the landing or shore.

Drain all water from bilges, bait buckets, live wells and other containers when leaving the landing or shore.

Use live minnows purchased only from registered bait dealers in Wisconsin or catch it yourself in the same water you fish.